Rotary RibFest on the Miramichi 2016

The Rotary Club of Newcastle have announced details of their community event happening the weekend of May 27-29, 2016. Re-branded as “Rotary RibFest on the Miramichi”, this weekend will involve a number of activities with lots of food, and will take place in the downtown parking area in front of the library off Ledden Street.

This year will see three professional ribbers coming from the Toronto area to anchor the event, along with some additional food suppliers. These are the same people who are involved in Ribfests in other New Brunswick cities and southern Ontario. Rotary Clubs are frequently their partners.

Many of the same activities will be available again this year. Washer toss and human foosball tournaments are open for registration. Children’s activities will be coordinated in partnership the Miramichi Mango Team. Sunday morning activities will be buoyed by The Point Church, who will be hosting an open air church service at 11 AM. Musical entertainment will be plentiful. The MVHS Interact Club will host a Spelling Challenge as a new activity over last year. Hopefully there will be something for everybody.

Washer toss is a familiar backyard activity in the Maritimes when family and friends get together. Washer toss entries will be teams of two at a cost of $80, and guaranteed a minimum six games under a triple elimination format. The winning team will walk away with a cash prize of $1000. Second and third place will also receive cash prizes. There will be a limit of 100 entries, and participants are encouraged to come up with creative names for their team.

Human Foosball is the result of taking the popular foosball table game to the next level. Teams of six compete in a small enclosure to put a soft soccer ball through the goals. The only drawback is you have to keep holding onto the poles that come across the enclosure, which limits your movement. The inaugural event last May was a big hit with participants and spectators alike. Billed as the “Rotary Atlantic Human Foosball Championship”, entries will cost $240 for a team of six competitive players, guaranteed two games, and teams can be comprised of any combination of friends, family, or co-workers. Due to the popularity of the event last year, the committee has added a second category, called non-competitive, which costs $250, with a guaranteed three games.

Children’s events last year involved jumping castles, mazes, and a lot of fun – Mango promises much of the same this year, times to be posted on the website.

After the sun came out in time for the Sunday service last year, The Point Church is looking forward to an extended period of brightness, all faiths welcome to celebrate together.

The Interact students at MVHS will be offering a chance to check your creativity and spelling with their contest, a new addition this year, kind of like scrabble, but on the clock.